84 people including 49 pedestrians, 6 cyclists, 3 vehicle passengers and 26 vehicle drivers died in traffic accidents in New York City during the first semester. This is the lowest number of traffic deaths ever recorded in the city during the first six months of the year. Last year 96 people died in traffic accidents during the same period. It was the first time that the number of traffic deaths was below 100 for the first six months of the year.
As part of the Vision Zero initiative, the speed limit in the city went down to 25 mph in 2014. This speed limit decrease may have been a factor in the reduction of traffic deaths and in the increase of injuries. Accidents at lower speed may prevent road users from dying, instead they are getting injured.
Despite the introduction of Vision Zero, the number of crashes in New York City has been unusually high over the last 3 years. Statistics indicate that the number one cause of accident in the city is distracted driving. The usage of cellphones or other electronic devices while driving may explain the high number of motor vehicle accidents recorded over the last 3 years.
Data shows that pedestrians are the most at risk of dying in crashes, therefore, a lot of Vision Zero initiatives were dedicated to protecting them. Before Vision Zero, 72 pedestrians died in a traffic accident between January 2013 and June 2013. After Vision Zero was launched, this number went down to 60 in 2014, 54 in 2015, 56 in 2016 and 49 in both 2017 and 2018.
Bicycling has been booming in the city over the last few years. The development of the bike share service Citi Bike and the creation of bike lanes all over the city encouraged more and more New Yorkers as well as visitors to use bicycles as a transportation mode. It still can be dangerous to ride in the city, but the many safety measures recently implemented as part of the Vision Zero program have led to a decrease in both cyclists’ deaths and cyclists’ injuries during the first semester of 2018. The streets of New York were globally safer for bicyclists during the first six months of the year with a ratio deaths/accident at its second lowest level over the last 6 years.
Overall, it’s clear that Vision Zero has led to safer travel by automobile or bicycle in New York City and we can expect this to continue moving forward.